Girls' Day School Trust facts for kids
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| Abbreviation | GDST |
|---|---|
| Formation | 1872 |
| Type | Non-governmental organisation |
| Purpose | Educational accreditation |
| Headquarters | London, SW1 |
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Region served
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England and Wales |
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Chief Executive
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Cheryl Giovannoni |
The Girls' Day School Trust (GDST) is a group of 25 independent schools in England and Wales. These schools are for girls aged 3 to 18. The GDST is the largest group of independent schools in the UK. It helps educate about 20,000 girls every year.
The GDST started in 1872. Its first name was The Girls' Public Day School Company. Its goal was to offer good, affordable day-school education for girls. Day schools mean students go home after school, instead of living there. The GDST is also a registered charity. This means it works to help people and doesn't aim to make a profit.
Contents
A Look Back: The GDST Story
How It All Began
The idea for the GDST started with a study in 1864. This study looked at schools for boys and girls. It found that there weren't enough good secondary schools for girls.
Two sisters, Maria Grey and Emily Shirreff, wanted to fix this. They had written a book about how women needed more education. In 1871, they started a group called the "Women's Education Union". This group wanted to create good, affordable day schools for girls of all backgrounds. Many important people supported them, like Henrietta Stanley, Baroness Stanley of Alderley and Princess Louise, Duchess of Argyll.
Starting the Company
The Women's Education Union decided to create a company to raise money. This company would help them open schools. In June 1872, they held a big meeting to share their plan. The new company was officially named the Girls' Public Day School Company (GPDSC).
Many people from the Women's Education Union also helped start the GPDSC. Princess Louise became the company's patron. This meant she was a special supporter.
The Early Years (1872–1905)
The GPDSC wanted to open high schools for girls. These schools would offer strong academic lessons. They would also teach good morals and religion. School fees were kept low so more families could afford them. The schools were meant to become self-supporting over time.
The first GPDSC school opened in London in January 1873. It later became Kensington Preparatory School. In 1875, the GPDSC opened its first school outside London, Norwich High School for Girls. By 1905, the GPDSC had 37 schools across the country.
Each school had three parts: a preparatory section for younger kids, a junior section, and a senior section. Each school had a headmistress and trained teachers. Girls took exams from universities like Oxford and Cambridge.
At first, the schools also trained students who wanted to become teachers. Later, some larger schools had special departments for teacher training. The GPDSC also changed its rules to become a charity. This allowed it to receive money from the government to help support the schools. By 1900, over 7,000 students were in GPDSC schools.
Becoming a Trust (1905–1950)
A new law in 1902 said that more children should have access to secondary education. This meant the GPDSC had to offer more free places. The government also said the GPDSC would stop getting grants because it was a company that paid money to its owners.
So, in 1906, the GPDSC changed its name to the Girls' Public Day School Trust Limited (GPDST). It became a charity. The new rules said the GPDST had to buy back all its shares by 1956 or it would have to close.
The GPDST faced many money problems. World War I and the Great Depression made things hard. World War II caused even more financial trouble. The GPDST struggled to buy back its shares.
In 1944, the GPDST joined a government plan called the Direct Grant Scheme. This helped keep school fees low. This plan meant the government gave money to independent schools. In return, a certain number of students from elementary schools could attend for free.
After the war, the GPDST used money from the government and school fees to fix up its schools. A plan was made to save the GPDST from closing. This plan worked, and in 1950, the GPDST was saved. The word "Limited" was dropped from its name, and it became The Girls' Public Day School Trust.
The Trust Grows (1950–1998)
After paying off its debts, the GPDST started "The Friends of the Girls' Public Day School Trust" in 1951. This group helped raise money for scholarships and school improvements.
In 1976, the government stopped the direct grant scheme. This meant GPDST schools had to become fully independent. To help students who couldn't afford the fees, the GPDST created a special charity called the Girls' Public Day Trust Bursaries Fund. This fund provided financial help.
The GPDST also joined the government's Assisted Places Scheme. This scheme helped students from less wealthy families attend independent schools. The GPDST was part of this scheme until it ended in 1997.
The GDST Today (Since 1998)
In 1998, the organization changed its name to the Girls' Day School Trust (GDST).
Around 2005, some GDST schools started allowing boys in their sixth form (the last two years of high school). A co-educational (boys and girls) preparatory school also joined the GDST. By 2007, the GDST managed 29 day schools for girls aged three to 18.
The GDST also helped with the government's Academy program. Two of its schools, The Belvedere School in Liverpool and Birkenhead High School, became academies. This meant they lost the ability to choose students based on academic ability. However, the GDST still had a big say in how these schools were run.
In early 2022, there was a disagreement about staff pensions. Some teachers went on strike. This was the first national strike in the GDST's long history.
Current GDST Schools
As of July 2018, these schools are run by the GDST:
Preparatory Schools
- Kensington Preparatory School (Opened 1873)
Schools for Ages 3–18
- Birkenhead High School Academy (Opened 1901)
- Blackheath High School (Opened 1880)
- Brighton Girls (Opened 1876)
- Bromley High School (Opened 1883)
- Croydon High School (Opened 1874)
- Howell's School, Llandaff (Joined the GDST in 1980)
- Newcastle High School for Girls (Opened 1895)
- Northampton High School (Joined the GDST in 2006)
- Northwood College for Girls (Opened 1878. Joined the GDST in 2014)
- Norwich High School for Girls (Opened 1875)
- Nottingham High School for Girls (Opened 1875)
- Notting Hill & Ealing High School (Opened 1873)
- Oxford High School (Opened 1875)
- Portsmouth High School (Opened 1882)
- Putney High School (Opened 1893)
- Royal High School, Bath (Opened 1875)
- Sheffield High School (Opened 1878)
- Shrewsbury High School (Opened 1885)
- South Hampstead High School (Opened 1876)
- Streatham & Clapham High School (Opened 1887)
- Sutton High School (Opened 1884)
- Sydenham High School (Opened 1887)
- Wimbledon High School (Opened 1880)
School for Ages 11–18
- The Belvedere Academy, Liverpool (Opened 1880 as Liverpool High School, later The Belvedere School)
Past GDST Schools
The following schools were once part of the GDST. The dates show when the school was connected to the Trust. The later date usually means when the school closed or left the Trust.
- Bath High School, 1875. It joined with another school to form the Royal High School.
- Carlisle High School, 1884–1904. It was taken over by the local council.
- Charters-Ancaster School, 1988–1995. It joined with Battle Abbey School.
- Clapham Middle School, 1875–1904. It joined with Clapham High School.
- Clapham High School, 1882–1938. It joined with Streatham Hill and Brixton High School.
- Clapton and Hackney High School, 1875–1899.
- Dover High School, 1888–1908.
- Dulwich High School, 1878–1913. It was transferred to another company and closed in 1938.
- Gateshead High School, 1876–1907. It joined with Central Newcastle High School.
- Greycotes School, Oxford, around the 1990s. It joined with another school to form part of Oxford High School.
- Heathfield School, Pinner Opened 1900. Joined the GDST in 1987. It joined with Northwood College in 2014.
- Highbury and Islington High School, 1878–1911.
- Hilden Grange School, 2005–2010. Its ownership was transferred to another group.
- Ipswich High School for Girls, 1878–2017. It was bought by another group.
- Kensington High School, 1873–1948. Its junior school is now Kensington Preparatory School.
- East Liverpool High School, 1891–1921. It joined with Liverpool High School.
- Newton Abbot High School, 1881–1888.
- Paddington and Maida Vale High School, 1878–1912. It was transferred to the local council.
- The Squirrel School, Oxford, 1996–1997. It joined with Greycotes School to form part of Oxford High School.
- Swansea High School, 1888–1895.
- The Hamlets School, Liverpool, 1912–2010. It was sold in 2010.
- Tunbridge Wells High School, 1883–1945.
- Weymouth High School, 1880–1894.
- York High School, 1880–1907. It was transferred to another company.
GDST Logos
Over the years, the GDST has used different logos. For a while, it used a green picture of Minerva, the Roman goddess of wisdom. Later, it used a red circle with the letters "gdst" in white. Since 2018, the logo has been the letters "G D S T" widely spaced.
Special Supporters
The GDST has had important people as its patrons (special supporters):
See also
- Kitty Anderson
- List of girls' schools in the United Kingdom
